Who Art Thou?
by Astrid Oak Moon
Summary: A girl comes to High Castle on business with Fence. Takes place after The Whim Of The Dragon. Ted goes out of his way for her, Laura follows her, and even Patrick is captivated by her. Ruth is disgusted. Who is this girl who invaded their lives?
1. High Castle

The young woman's foot narrowly missed landing on a sharp rock, which, in her thin, travel-worn slippers would have proved rather painful, though she did not take notice. Her eyes were fastened straight ahead of her, on the Castle rising over the horizon, commanding everyone within sight to gaze upon it in wonder. In the light of the rising sun, it appeared to have a pinkish hue to it. She had been traveling without food for three days now, stopping only to sate her thirst from streams she happened across. Her dress was an old one, gray in color, with holes and patches in it. She had a pack on her back, though its' contents were few: three thin dresses (she was never one to wear stockings or petticoats-petticoats!), a weeks worth of clean underwear, some hair ribbons, a brown blanket, and a mysterious bundle.

Her dark, furious red hair was loose and flowing down her back, as she hadn't bothered to tie it back or brush it. After all, who was there to see it? And what did she care if someone thought she looked like a banshee? The answers were zero. Zero people, and zero cares.

Her foot landed painfully on a rock. She fell unceremoniously to the ground and removed her left slipper, examining her foot. There was a small cut. Sighing, she slipped her shoe back on. These were not traveling shoes, to be sure. Already their bright green had faded to a paler green, but the most prominent color was brown. Brown from mud and dust. She cast a baleful look at the sky. Clouds there were many, and though they were painted lovely pinks, purples, and oranges, there was no denying the fact that they would soon be dark grey. She only hoped she would be safely in the Castle by the time they decided to dump their load. Sighing, she stood up and re-adjusted the straps of her pack, and strode purposefully forward.

* * *

><p>Agatha peered curiously at the girl. She seemed familiar, though Agatha knew she had not met this girl before. No, she would remember seeing hair that long and thick. It was a most startling shade of red, not the orange that gingers swore up and down was red, nor was it the red that seemed brown unless the sun hit it just right. No, it was <em>red.<em> Her eyes and mouth were what Agatha found so familiar. Her eyes seemed to change colors with nearly every movement of her head, first a amber color, then brown. Then, surprisingly, green. Always though, the golden lines coming out from her pupils like suns rays were present. Her lips were a soft pink, like a rosebud, and heart shaped (though not unpleasantly so-he bottom lip did not curve like most peoples; instead sloped vertically to a soft point). Her hands were fair and slender, like a pianists. Curiously, they were not calloused, so logically Agatha had deduced she was not a farmers daughter, if slightly bronzed skin had anything to say in the matter. The slight color of the girl showed that she did not spend an abundance of time out-of-doors, though she was not necessarily cooped up inside like some Ladies preferred to be.

The girl had stumbled into the castle, slightly leaning on a guard and pre-accompanied by the pageboy who had fetch Agatha two or three hours after sunrise. Agatha had instantly seen that this girl was fatigued and famished, and had quickly ushered her into the Great Hall for breakfast. Whether or not the girl had broken her fast did not matter; she was clearly under-fed.

The girl was now heaping honey on her bread. A look of pure ecstasy flickered across her face when she bit into the sweet treat. Agatha waited until the girl had finished slowly devouring her bread slice, nodded curtly when the girl heisitantly looked her way when reaching for another piece. While the girl was slathering honey and butter on her soon-to-be meal, she asked finally,

"If I may inquire, who are you, and what is your business in High Castle?"

The girl finished spreading the toppings on her bread and carefully laid the knife on the side of her plate. "My name is Briseis. My business is with Fence."

Agatha looked closely at the girl. Briseis met her gaze unwaveringly. Unable to stand her golden gaze any longer, Agatha looked down at her wine goblet and brought it slowly to her lips. When she sat it down, she asked Briseis if she would need a room to stay in, and for how long. Briseis replied that she would, and did not know how long she would be staying, but of course she would not linger long enough as to over exhaust her welcome. When the girl finished eating her meal, Agatha led her to what would be her chambers for the unknown period of time.

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:<span> Sorry this chapter was so short. I hope you like it so far. Please, please review! I was looking through the other FF's of the Secret Country trilogy and discovered there was a shocking lack of stories. None of them were long enough to satisfy my Secret Country FF wants, so I decided to write one myself. Just a pre-warning, there will be some hostility between Ruth and Briseis.  
>Also, Briseis is pronounced "Bree-say-iss." Soft "s" at the end. Hopefully more chapters soon... and once again, please review!(: <strong>


	2. An Apprentice For Fence

**Forgot to do this in the last chapter... DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Secret Country, Feren, Fence, Agatha, or any one or thing else you'll recognize from the Secret Country Trilogy. I do own Briseis, the plot, and... well, you get the idea.**

**AN: Sorry if my... King James?... use of 'thou' 'thy' 'thine' 'art' and... well, you get the picture... aren't correct. You can correct me if you want, I won't be offended, but I won't change it either. It's not like anybody's reading this (or if they are they aren't reviewing-which is why this is only the second chapter! -hinthint).  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Briseis stretched and yawned. Peering out her window, she concluded it was near mid-day. Not as much sleep as she would've liked, but it was enough. She sprung from her bed, and donned a dress from her pack; a plain white dress that clung to her upper body and arms, but flared out past her hips and elbows. However, her sleeves had slits in them, so the excess of material didn't get in her way too terribly much. The gown had a scooped neckline, and-as she filled it out rather well-only showed the tops of her bosoms.<p>

Briseis was not one for frills and lace and other such trivials, she'd much rather just keep it simple. Quickly, she washed her face from the rose water on the vanity, tugged a brush through her hair, and swept it up, leaving her bangs and a small, perfect curl on her left side in front of her ear down. Pleased with the results, she hurried from the room, hoping she'd run into Agatha or somebody who could give her directions to Fences tower.

* * *

><p>With an exasperated sigh she slumped to the ground, her back against the stairwell wall. <em>Why in Shan's mercy does this blasted man have to have so many steps?<em> She had tried to count, but had lost track of how many there were. She was resting on the stairs now not because she was exhausted from the physical labor, but from the sheer innumerable amount of steps she had been climbing. _Mayhaps they don't take kindly to strangers_, she mused to herself. Which, of course, was ridiculous. How could stairs not like someone?

But then again, these were no ordinary stairs.

With a huff, Briseis stood up again, and began half-running up the stone steps. Upon rounding a corner, she came face-to-face with a chest, clad in a blue tunic. Instantly, her eyes jolted up to meet a pair of shocking green eyes surrounded by a mass of hastily cut, short brown hair. _It is amazing what the brain can proccess within the span of a few milli-seconds_, she thought, realizing this was Fence even while she started to fall backwards from surprise. With a, "Oi there!" Fence quickly lunged forward and grabbed hold of the front of her dress, pulling her to him once she was close enough. They fell-Briseis foward and Fence back-on the stone steps. Quickly, she scurried to her feet, offering her hand.

"Oh so, so sorry! I should have been watching where I was going, oh, are you alright?" She gushed, on the verge of tears. The man hopped to his feet, clasping her hand in both of his, immediately grinning at her and assuring her he was fine.

"My dear Lady, fret not! I am unharmed," He looked up off to the side, "It appears your dress did come turn out half as lucky."

She looked down. A fist-sized strip of cloth was hanging down in the middle of her bodice from where he had grabbed her instinctively. She hastily smoothed the piece over her breasts, crossing her arms over it.

"I-oh-it's-well-"

"I can mend it for you, though you may want to come back up to my room." Silently she agreed and followed him up the last bend in the tower. _Of course, the stairs worked for him_, she thought wryly.

After doing a mending spell-while looking away, of course-he turned to her.

"If I may be so bold as to inquire, my Lady, who art thou..?"

Straightening her back, she looked straight at him, "I am Bresis, from Feren. You came to Feren four or five summers ago. Mayhaps even six. I was a girl then, thirteen at the youngest. I did not get to meet you personally, but I'd heard great things about you, and saw some of your magic. Ever since, I've been wanting to come and learn from you, if you'll have me." A calm, confident mask was plastered on her face, but inside she was a bundle of raw nerves.

Fence just gazed at her for a while. The seconds seemed to bleed slowly into minutes and melt even slower into hours, though it was only for a total of seven minutes Fence thought to himself.

"Sits the wind in that quarter?" Was his only response. Breseis lowered her gaze, examining the rug. _Of course he wouldn't want to teach her, stupid, foolish, young maid she was. Did he even remember Feren? He had hardly stayed there, and only that once. _Her thoughts were whirling around in her head like a tornado, destroying one hope after the next. Fence again broke the silence.

"Thou knowst I have had an apprentice? And thou must be dedicated and study? And obey my every order without question, lest it result in harm for thyself or others?"

Staring him in the eye, Briseis replied "Yes. I'm rather determined, and can be stubborn, especially when learning. My family found fault with it, saying a woman should not be so strong-minded nor strong-willed. I believe the only reason they allowed me to come beg your teachings is because they knew there's no hope for me; I will always be this way. After all, they've tried many years to..." She cut off, and cleared her throat. He looked at her with his piercing eyes.

"My dishes need washing. Make sure each set is in its' own stack." With that, he stepped up the stairs leading to only he knew where. Her lips formed themselves into the line of determination she was known in Feren for as she walked over to the tub that was the sink. She stifled a groan as she realized she would have to go fetch water to boil. And with that, she began looking around for a bucket.


End file.
